A senior U.S. State Department official on Monday called upon a remaining handful of countries to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) despite the United States’ failure to do so.
Despite the “domestic political obstacles” hindering U.S. ratification of the treaty, the CTBT is in the nation’s national security interest and “it is incumbent upon us to convince those that doubt this fact,” Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary for arms control and international security, said at the 20th anniversary CTBT ministerial meeting in Vienna, Austria.
In the meantime, “[a]s we work through our process,” Gottemoeller called on Annex 2 states – the 44 nations that must ratify the CTBT for the treaty to enter into force – to complete their ratification processes.
The Annex 2 states participated in negotiations for the treaty in the 1990s while operating nuclear power or research reactors. The United States is among the eight Annex 2 nations that have yet to ratify the accord, which would prohibit nuclear weapon explosive testing. The others are China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, India, North Korea, and Pakistan. The latter three nations have also not signed the treaty.
The U.S. Senate voted against ratification in 1999. President Barack Obama included CTBT ratification as part of his ambitious nuclear nonproliferation agenda, but never formally submitted the measure to the Senate for ratification.
The U.S. remains “steadfast in our support for the Treaty and for the critical work of the Preparatory Commission” for the CTBT Organization, Gottemoeller said at the meeting. “Our dedication to the Treaty is demonstrated through unmatched monetary and technical support and our clear commitment to ensuring that the verification regime is completed, and functions as intended.”
Diplomats from dozens of other nations also offered statements at the meeting.
